1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shaver head for a wet shaver. The shaver head is arranged at the front of a handle, and has a single or double razor blade fastened in a plastic housing having a front guide strip and a rear cover cap. The shaver head includes a shaving preparation which is dispensed during shaving.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional wet shavers, a single or double razor blade is permanently embedded in a plastic housing in the shaver head. If the shaver head is constructed separately and can be fastened to a handle by corresponding interlocking devices, the shaver head is known as a razor blade unit.
It is common to fit razor blade units with an additional slide strip, in order to make shaving more comfortable by reducing friction. The slide strip is provided with a shaving preparation which is dispensed during shaving. Two shaving preparation systems are essentially distinguished.
The first system is based on a mixture of water-soluble plastic of the polyox (PEO) type, and water-insoluble polystyrene (PS). The PEO/PS slide strips are available in various forms, and can be manufactured by various production methods. It is common to all these slide strips that during shaving, a specific quantity, for the most part between 1 and 5 milligrams, of the water soluble plastic is applied.
It is a disadvantage of the first system that during shaving the application of the polyox takes place very inaccurately and depends greatly upon the individual's shaving habits. It also appears that even during the second and third shaves, the quantity of polyox released decreases, resulting very quickly in a perceptible reduction in shaving comfort. A further disadvantage of this first system resides is that even after a few applications, the slide strip starts to look very messy. Moreover, the slide strip is sensitive with respect to humidity, which is present, in particular, in the bathroom With polyox solutions the viscosity arising during shaving depends strongly upon the individual shaving behavior of the user, namely, upon how greatly the slide strip is wetted with water. If the razor blade unit is treated unevenly, the undesirable effects occur and the user criticizes the "stickiness" of the slide strip. Finally, with the first system, the water-soluble slide strip is produced from plastic, which although classified as dermatological acceptable, does not allow the desired shaving effect to be achieved with natural substances. The reason for this is that the production process requires temperatures that would decompose natural substances. Because of the production process, again, the addition of a shaving or skin preparation agent is not possible, as the temperatures required in the production of the slide strip are higher than 200.degree. C.
The second system is based on a film with ultraslide properties, which likewise reduces the frictional force during shaving and thus guarantees a comfortable shave. In the previously described first system, quantities of polyox that can be clearly established and measured are applied to the shaving surface. However, this is not required in the second system in order to achieve the same effect.
The film with ultraslide properties of the second system thus achieves a comfortable shave without the previously described disadvantages of the first system. There is no perceptible application of lubricants to the skin, so performance is further retained over a lengthy period and for several shaves. Furthermore no messy appearance results during use. With respect to atmospheric humidity and heat, sensitivity is reduced. However, because of the mechanism during shaving, it is not possible to apply a liquid, natural shaving preparation, any skin preparations or scented shaving preparations.